Wildfire Risk Up Slightly in Northwest

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Nipigon 17 in early stages of burning
Nipigon 17 in early stages of burning

Nipigon 17 in early stages of burning
Nipigon 17 in early stages of burning
THUNDER BAY – Wildfires in Northwestern Ontario are ramping up. Four new fires were confirmed on August 13. Red Lake District Fire Number 25 is being held at 0.1 hectares (ha) and is located near Blondin Lake. Kenora District Fire Number 15 is being observed at 0.1ha and is on Poplar Island on Lake of the Woods.

Sioux Lookout District Fire Number 18 is not under control at 2.1 ha and is located near Shearstone Lake. Red Lake District Fire Number 26 was declared out at 0.1 ha and was located on Mackenzie Island.

There was one new forest fire confirmed in the Northwest Region by the afternoon of August 14. Thunder Bay District Fire Number 13 is not under control at 0.1 ha and is located north of Brennan Lake.

The current number of active fires in the region has reached 15, with 10 of those being observed. The degree of concern for fire behaviour is moderate across the region. On Friday August 15, a cold front moving through the northwest will produce mainly cloudy skies with showers and thunderstorms across the region.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is monitoring a small fire in the Kenora District. This fire is located on a small island north of Windfall Island. This fire is managed under the Lake of the Woods Conservation Reserve Fire Response Plan. This fire is helping renew the forest ecosystem in the area. Fire in the landscape as an agent for ecosystem renewal is a fundamental component of the wildland fire strategy in Ontario. The Lake of the Woods Conservation Reserve is located in an area where the Prairie, Great Lakes–St. Lawrence, and Boreal forest regions converge. Historically, fire has been a frequent natural disturbance in this area. Many plants and animals of the area are adapted to and/or depend on fires to create and maintain suitable habitat. It does not pose a threat to people or property.

For more information please call the Kenora Fire Management Headquarters at (807) 548-1919.

Out of province dispatches

Resource movement continues from Ontario out to British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. There are 358 personnel from Ontario at this time with 210 in British Columbia and 148 in the Northwest Territories. More personnel including overhead staff and FireRanger crews are scheduled outbound later this week, while resources that have reached the end of their duty time are also scheduled to return from the Northwest Territories.

Ontario is also providing equipment including 430 power pumps, six thousand lengths of hose, two values protection units and 41 portable relay tanks to British Columbia.

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